Miami Dolphins no longer chasing the Bills in AFC East, gap is closed

The Miami Dolphins have spent the last decade-plus competing with the Jets for the worst in the division. The Bills took over the AFC East but not anymore.

This year, the Miami Dolphins proved that the Buffalo Bills are not the juggernaut of the AFC East that so many have made them out to be. The Bills won the AFC East this year and they won it last year and the year before that but the gap is no longer closing, it’s closed.

We learned this year that the Bills are not who we thought they were. They are an on-paper great team with a great quarterback but we also learned they are not as dominant as everyone thought.

The Bengals on Sunday destroyed the Bills in every facet of the game. They hurt them. They made them look like a team that should not be characterized as a contender. The Bills lost. At home. In the weather that is supposed to befit them.

This was the same Bills team that almost lost in the Wild Card round to the Dolphins. A Dolphins team with an injured but playing Xavien Howard. A missing Tua Tagovailoa and a 7th-round draft pick who had little experience. Miami was missing starting offensive linemen, and starting running backs banged up on defense and had exceptionally bad time management on the final drive.

Miami should have won that game but they didn’t. It was a great effort and a good game but it showcased that the talented Bills are not a powerhouse, they are not the Chiefs and they are not the Bengals. The Bills are a great regular-season football team but this year we learned that the Dolphins are not afraid of them.

Miami beat them in South Florida. They came within three of beating them in Orchard Park after losing two games in a row on the road, and of course, the Wild Card game which nearly shook the NFL world.

For Miami fans, the Dolphins are still trending north. They will fix some of their issues including the offensive line play. A new defensive coordinator should, hopefully, bring new energy to the defense and put the players in a better position to maximize their talent. Offensively, we should get better just with Mike McDaniel gaining more experience.

Will Miami win the AFC East next season? Maybe. Maybe it will be the New York Jets who are building a quality team as well. What we do know is that the Bills are not going to be the runaway favorites that the media will hype them to be or the juggernaut that BillsMafia believes them to be.

No, we learned this year that AFC East can belong to anyone and the race for the division title next year is going to be one helluva competition.